The NBA Players have been digging in a lot of money in recent years due to the rising viewerships of the sport and increasing global reach. Apart from getting a salary from their respective NBA teams, players are also involved in endorsing brands that give them fame as well as a good revenue boost. Some players have been making a lot of money due to their global popularity, making them one of the highest-paid NBA players of all time.
Here, let us take a glimpse of one of the Highest Paid NBA players in terms of total earnings (not just salaries) earned during the 2019-20 season so far:
#5. James Harden- Houston Rockets ($ 55.2 Million)
Salary- $38.3 Million
Endorsements- $17 Million
Spending eight successive seasons with the Houston Rockets, the monstrous guard has been raking in a lot of money due to his playing skills and match-winning performances. The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of 2018, Harden’s salary for 2019-20 season has been $38.2 Million which is fifth in the list of Highest paid NBA players in 2019-20. And apart from his salary, he digs in a good amount from the brand endorsements, which is estimated to be $ 17 Million. He also endorses one of the biggest sporting brands Under Armor and Adidas. He has also signed a contract with Electronic Arts, State Farm which yields him around $17 Million in the 2019-20 season.
#4. Russell Westbrook ($ 56.5 Million)
Salary- $38.5 Million
Endorsements- $18 Million
Known for his aggression on the court, Russell Westbrook had one of the largest deals in the NBA with 5 years for a contract worth $205 million with the Oklahoma City Thunders but later moved to Houston Rockets. His salary for the 2019-20 season is $38.5 Million, besides he also boasts a deal with Jordan for his customized shoes making him one of the very few players to have his signature shoes in the NBA. He earns a hefty amount from some of the big brands in the industry such as Nike, PepsiCo, Samsung Electronics, True Religion Apparel, etc. as his sponsors and endorsements. His overall earning in the 2019-20 season is $56.5 Million, making him one of the highest-paid NBA players in 2019 20 seasons.
#3. Kevin Durant- Brooklyn Nets ($ 73.2 Million)
Salary- $38.2 Million
Endorsements- $35 Million
Kevin Durant had an injury-plagued 2019-20 season, as he couldn’t play a single game after joining Brooklyn Nets in the summers of 2019. He signed a four-year, $164M contract with the Brooklyn Nets with a Player option in the final season making it $38.2 Million per year. Despite all of his injuries, Durant managed to earn a hefty amount as he is sponsored by Google, Alaska Air Group, and Nike. With the sponsorship backings from such big giants, KD is one of the highest-paid athletes in the United States. Besides, he also invested in several bullish startups that boosted his total earnings in the 2019-20 season. His overall earnings stood at $73.2 Million from the sports, in which $38.2 Million came as his NBA salary and the rest $35 Million coming from the brand endorsements.
#2. Stephen Curry- Golden State Warriors ($85.2 Million)
Salary- $40.2 Million
Endorsements- $45 Million
The ‘Baby faced Assassin” is one of the most popular and menacing players in the NBA, Stephen Curry has been the Golden State Warriors’ mainstay, winning them the championships several times since joining them. Stephen Curry has been the league’s highest-paid players in recent times and earns a handsome amount of $40.2 Million as his salary and the rest comes from endorsing brands and one of them is the UnderArmor which signed him after the former’s contract ended with Nike. Curry couldn’t play in the majority of the 2019-20 season due to his injury but that didn’t stop him from getting cheques. He is sponsored by Chase, Nissan Motors along with UnderArmor. Besides, he was also the brand face of the mobile manufacturer Vivo in the 2015-16 season. He takes home an overall amount of $85.2 Million in the 2019-20 season of NBA, making him the second-highest-paid NBA player in the list.
#1. Lebron James- Los Angeles Lakers ($92.4 Million)
Salary- $37.4 Million
Endorsements- $55 Million
The Lakers’ star comes first in the list when it comes to the overall earnings in the 2019-20 season as he yields $37.4 Million from the salary he receives from his NBA team. The majority of his earnings come from endorsing activities for big brands such as Nike (Lifetime sponsor), Coca-Cola, Beats By Dre, Blaze Pizza, and NBA 2K. LeBron James has made it to the list for the sixth straight year and also one of the highest-paid NBA players of all time. James gets huge sponsorship backing from KIA Motors, Beats Electronics, and his lifetime sponsor Nike. He signed a $500 million contract with Nike which is considered to be one of the largest deals in the history of the NBA. Besides, he also has investments in numerous startups and companies which yields him a good profit every year. In the 2019-20 season, LeBron James earned $55 Million from the brand endorsements. Thereby he becomes the highest-earning NBA player in the 2019-20 season.
